When preparing to reproduce a photographic print in a newspaper or similar printed material, the photographic print is photographed through the utilization of a special camera in conjunction with a halftone screen, or the like, and in order to produce a halftone negative of the photographic print at the same or different size suitable for producing a plate to be utilized in the newspaper printing of the photographic print, it is often necessary to compensate for varying densities of photographic prints, different sizes of photographic prints and photographic prints having different contrast.
Although the reproduction camera to be used in producing a suitable halftone negative may be experimented with insofar as lens aperture is concerned and "flashing" and "bumping" may also be carried out in an experimental manner until the desired halftone negative is produced, such experimentation, even by an experienced photographer, is very time consuming with the result that the expense of producing a printed reproduction of a photographic print can be cost prohibitive, at least where a considerable number of photographic prints are concerned. Accordingly, a need exists for a means by which correct changes in copy camera lens aperture settings may be made in order to compensate for size differences, print density variations and variations in print contrast.